by H. G Ahedi
“That’s good.”
“May I suggest that we also activate the receptors?” asked Cyr.
Emmeline was surprised. She hadn’t heard about the receptors.
“Excellent idea,” said Anastasia.
“What are the receptors?” asked Mykel.
“The perimeter has receptors that can be activated from Titan. In case of power loss, the receptors could be used to transmit power from here.”
“That means Titan can transfer power to the perimeter directly?” asked Mykel.
“Yes,” replied Cyr.
“Do it,” said Anastasia.
“That’s unnecessary,” said Jacob.
Emmeline wanted to roll her eyes, but she controlled herself.
“We want to be prepared,” said Anastasia. “Admiral, speaking of being prepared, ten ships have returned. Can we have them stationed near the perimeter?”
“Those ships are to remain at the Challenger colony near Earth.”
“Why?” said Mykel.
“We’re waiting for the Imperial Command’s orders.”
“Have we suggested them to station those ship at the perimeter?” asked Anastasia.
“Not yet.”
“Why the delay?”
“I think they might feel it’s unnecessary at the moment.”
Emmeline felt annoyed, and she noticed the distress around the room.
Mykel was about to say something when Anastasia gently touched his arm. “Maybe we should bring it up during our meeting with the Imperial Command,” she said.
The admiral didn’t look impressed.
“What about the debris? Lieutenant Storm, did you find a data module?” said Anastasia, pressing on.
Cyr bowed her head. “No. We cannot make heads nor tails of the alien ship’s internal design. To make matters worse, the parts are fused together, and it’s difficult to tear them apart.”
“So, we have nothing?”
“Nothing yet.”
“Don’t give up.” Anastasia turned to the doctors. “First of all, Dr. Finch, thank you very much for coming all the way from Earth.”
“My pleasure.”
“You understand that staying on Titan could be dangerous?”
“I understand. But I do not believe we would have made much progress if I had stayed back on Earth.”
“Good to know. Proceed.”
The doctor got to his feet, and the large screen behind Anastasia came to life. “Now, as I’m sure everyone here knows, we found some dead aliens,” he said. “To be precise, a head, a leg, two arms, and a bone. They belong to different Orias. Using what we found, and my years of study on exobiology, I have made a rough reconstruction of what the Orias might look like.”
Everyone exchanged glances. Emmeline felt blood rushing to her face.
“Behold the enemy.”
The image on the screen changed, and a few people gasped. Emmeline felt her skin crawl. She involuntarily glanced at Argon, who looked concerned. To her, the lights appeared dimmer, and the savage image on the screen was terrifying.
The creature was about six or seven feet tall with a tough black exoskeleton. Its hexagonal whitish and blue-hued eyes sat deep in an elongated head with a wide jaw. It had a short, thick neck, two arms, and sturdy legs.
“We know very little about this species,” said Dr. Finch. The image on the screen changed, showing DNA strands. “You see, like every living being in the universe, including you and me, they have a DNA pattern. We have twenty-three chromosome pairs with three billion DNA base pairs. Now you understand why you are so complicated.”
No one laughed, but Emmeline appreciated the doctor’s attempt at humor.
“These aliens have forty-six chromosomes pairs, and I have discovered over six billion DNA base pairs. Unfortunately, we do not have a database that contains similar DNA patterns for further study. Just like no two humans are genetically identical, no two DNA patterns for the Orias are identical.” The doctor became silent and looked as if he was carefully gathering his words. “I detected something in their DNA sequence that I have never seen in any studies I have done in my lifetime. I could not find any earlier records of similar findings, and I double-checked my work.” He paused. Everyone sensed his discomfort.
“Doctor?” prompted Anastasia.
“Sorry. I have discovered an underlying hidden DNA sequence in the samples.”
“Hidden?” asked Adrian.
“Yes. They have two DNA sequences. One which is easily detectable, and another which is hidden as if submerged. It’s only a trace.”
“What do you mean?” Anastasia asked.
“It appears as if someone has written over their original DNA.”
Gasps were heard throughout the room. Emmeline narrowed her eyes. That wasn’t possible. No, it couldn’t be.
“Are you telling me they were transformed?” concluded Mykel.
“Something like that,” said Dr. Finch, nodding. “I don’t think the Orias were born. They were created by eradicating another species.” The image on the screen changed again. “This is what the Orias look like. Ugly, fat, bipedal animals with two hind limbs, a large head, and a wide jaw. Using my expertise, I pulled out the bits and pieces of suppressed genomes. This is what this species actually looks like. Please keep in mind I have used a bit of my imagination.”
Beside the Orias, a picture of a bipedal creature that looked very much like a human appeared. It had an exceptionally short neck, big angular eyes, and a bulky head.
“Oh my God,” said Emmeline.
“Are you telling us that someone or something deleted their original DNA and made them into monsters?” said Cyr.
“Yes.”
Murmurs filled the meeting room.
“Silence,” commanded Anastasia. “Okay. So, each Orias might be from a different species?”
Dr. Finch nodded. “Yes. Or the same. I pulled out this genome from the first leg we discovered in the debris. A second one from the head. Those two Orias originated from same species.”
“What about the second leg you found?” asked Cyr.
“I haven’t gotten to that yet.” Dr. Finch turned to Anastasia. “Commander, we need to be careful. Whoever is sending those ships has the power to alter genomes and might have the power to alter an entire species.”
“You mean play God?” asked Argon angrily.
Emmeline felt goosebumps on her skin.
The room became completely silence.
“I have a question,” said Evan.
Dr. Finch gave him his full attention.
“Is it something like when the witch changed the prince into a frog?” he asked.
“Lieutenant,” warned Anastasia.
But no one could help it. Everyone, Anastasia included, burst into a roar of laughter. Emmeline was happy to see everyone loosen up for a second.
“It’s a valid question!” argued Evan.
The humor died out quickly.
Dr. Finch cleared this throat. “Well, Lieutenant, luckily for the prince, he could change back into a human. These guys are not so fortunate.”
“You mean this is permanent?” asked Jacob.
“Yes.”
Everyone was tongue-tied.
Aceline said, “Could you share your theories about their behavior? They look like animals, but their behavior suggested higher intelligence. Do you think they would be telepathic?”
Everyone turned to Dr. Finch, who smiled. “A very intriguing question. And, fortunately, one I can answer in a few days. I’ve been studying the attack pattern of the Orias. They distracted our fighters, and the wheel was targeting the perimeter. I agree, doctor. Despite what they look like, their behavior indicates some sort of higher intelligence.”
“I’m sure there’s a hierarchy,” Aceline commented. “Someone or something was giving them orders. In our planet’s history, instinct drives most animals, not necessarily strategy.”
“If they are telepathic and don’t know h
ow to communicate verbally, that could explain why they didn’t respond to our hails,” said Adrian.
Heads nodded around the table.
“I must examine the brain, but yes, that is possible,” answered Dr. Finch.
“That’s why diplomatic ways may not work until we get a hold of their leader,” said Mykel.
“Adrian, you were conducting continuous scans during the battle. Did you detect any unusual readings or frequencies?” Anastasia asked.
Adrian shook his head. “Not to my knowledge. But I still have the data from the scans. I can go through it again.”
“Do it.”
“What are you thinking, Commander?” asked Mykel.
“I’m thinking that if we can identify the frequency, they were using to communicate with each other, we can use it to take them down.”
“Or communicate with them,” said Jacob.
Emmeline wasn’t sure communication would work. She studied the surprised look on Anastasia’s face.
“Time will tell. Next—” Anastasia started.
Dr. Finch held up a hand to stop her. “I’m not done yet. A week ago, Emmeline reported that she found traces of reptilian DNA in the debris.”
Everyone looked at Emmeline, and immediately, she felt intimidated.
“Yes,” said Anastasia. “So?”
Dr. Finch’s face paled. “In the same debris where Emmeline detected the reptilian DNA, I found a bone. It is a vertebra, part of the spine. I think during the battle, the Orias body was crushed to pieces. We may or may not find the rest of it. Just like the other samples, the vertebra shows signs of genetic altering, and I’ve found another hidden genome pattern.”
“And?” said Dr. Kent.
Dr. Finch gulped. “The vertebra belongs to a human.”
Fear grasped Emmeline.
“W-What?” Adrian cried out. “That’s impossible!”
“But how could that be? I’m sure none of us were . . . taken,” said Argon.
“Are you sure, Dr. Finch?” asked Anastasia in a low voice.
“I’m afraid it’s the truth,” he replied solemnly. “The vertebra belongs to a human.”
“This is preposterous!” said Jacob. “Rubbish I say!”
The room fell silent. Emmeline could feel her palms sweating. She massaged them together in hopes it would relax her.
“But how and when?” asked Dr. Kent.
“To the best of my knowledge, six ships were lost in deep space. Two were destroyed in an ion storm, but four ships vanished without a trace,” Anastasia answered.
“How far back was this?” asked Dr. Finch.
“The ships left the solar system about thirty years ago.”
“Wasn’t there a search?” asked Argon.
“Two ships were sent out to investigate, but they returned empty-handed.”
“Are you suggesting they were abducted by these Orias?” asked Jacob.
“I don’t know,” replied Anastasia. “I’m just saying we’ve lost people in deep space.”
“Is it possible that this bone might belong to one of the crew members on those lost ships?” asked Argon.
“There’s only one way to find out,” said Anastasia as she turned to look at the doctor.
There was an unsettling silence. Emmeline bit her nails. She stopped when she saw Dr. Kent glaring at her. She immediately straightened up, trying to look strong.
“You all know what’s at stake here,” Anastasia said. “This is a species that has for no apparent reason declared war on us. To make matters worse, we have discovered that they can eradicate other species. We have no choice. This is our home, and we need to protect it at all costs. Dr. Finch, your priority is to find out whatever you can from the brain. I want to know how they communicate. Then your job is to find a match for that vertebra. If it belongs to any of the crew members who were lost, we can assume that the Orias captured our ship. You can find all the information about those ships in Titan’s database. Do you need help?”
“I’d like to work with someone who has knowledge and expertise in working with fossils and DNA.”
Anastasia smiled.
“I’d love to help,” offered Aceline.
“Thank you.”
“Lieutenant Weeds and Olson,” continued Anastasia. “I want the shields up and running. Then find out if there were any hidden frequencies or any kind of communications between the alien ships. You can use the help of the Crystal Lab.”
The officers nodded.
“Dr. Kent, what about the cloud?”
“Emmeline was right,” Dr. Kent said. “It’s a doorway, probably to another galaxy, but we have no control over it. However, we could shut it down.”
“What do you mean, shut it down?”
“Imagine that they’re using a generator on the other side of that doorway. We can overload it.”
Everyone looked at each other.
“I’m afraid to ask,” said Anastasia. “How?”
“The Phoenix.”
“You mean the death ray,” Evan said.
Dr. Kent smirked.
Emmeline rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and glared at Evan.
“Death ray?” asked Dr. Finch. “What is a death ray?”
“An experiment designed by Dr. Kent and Emmeline to create a high-yield particle beam. It could take out an Orias wheel in seconds, and I think we could also use it for scientific purposes. One of Titan’s missions is to protect Earth from dangerous unknown spatial anomalies, and such a particle beam could be very useful,” explained Anastasia.
“Okay. Then what’s stopping you?” asked Dr. Finch.
Everyone looked at each other.
“The last time Emmeline brought it online, it blew up every transformer in engineering and started a massive fire,” said Cyr.
“Then it hit the environmental systems, and for the first time in ten years, artificial gravity went offline,” added Adrian.
“And Titan’s bridge computers overloaded and blew,” said Anastasia.
“And the Crystal Lab was very, very close to exploding,” said Argon.
Emmeline gritted her teeth. It wasn’t fair. It was an experiment, and experiments sometimes went wrong, but that didn’t mean it was right to give up. What the hell was wrong with these people?
“So, it’s dangerous,” said Dr. Finch.
“It needs a powerful energy source, which we don’t have. When we linked it to Titan, it drained most of its power. I believe if we learn to stabilize and control the energy required by the particle beam, it should be safe to use,” explained Dr. Kent.
“It looks good on the drawing board, Chris. Leave it there,” scoffed Jacob.
“I’ve put in another proposal,” said Dr. Kent.
“They will not say yes. Stop wasting your time.”
“One day, it will work,” muttered Dr. Kent.
Everyone fell silent.
Then Jacob spoke. “Captain Lockhart and I have been recalled by the Imp—”
“Why?” interjected Anastasia.
“To discuss how to handle this war.”
“I don’t think either of you should leave Titan,” she said, looking at Mykel. “I thought we were going to talk to the Imperial Command together.”
Mykel rolled his eyes. “The admiral spoke on our behalf.”
“What?” asked Anastasia. “But we’d decided to work on this together.” She looked at Jacob.
“I know. I found out just before the meeting.” Mykel eyed the admiral too.
A sense of anger rose within Emmeline, and she saw Argon scowling.
“And you agreed to leave?” asked Dr. Kent.
There was a tense silence. “We have to do what the Imperial Command says,” Jacob replied.
“We don’t know if we’re being watched. We don’t know when these things will attack again. It could be tomorrow or the day after. We must be ready. You’re needed here. If the perimeter falls, there might be no Earth or Imperial Command to protect. Do
you really have to leave? Can’t you speak to them from here?” Anastasia demanded.
“Valid point. I can try. But Prometheus has to go.”
“Why?” she asked, again looking at Mykel, who remained silent.
“It’s been through an ion storm, and its hull has sustained damage that can only be repaired at the Challenger colony. In addition, the ship has been in deep space for four years, and its engines need refurbishments,” explained the admiral.
“I know, but . . .”
“Commander, I think our ships can handle this, and the earlier we do the repairs, the better,” said Jacob.
“I think I should speak to the Imperial Command,” Anastasia said.
“I think I just said I have, and there is nothing more to discuss.” Jacob replied coldly, “They are well aware of our situation. The improvements you have made to the perimeter and the steps you are taking. They trust us to handle the situation. I spoke with some commanders in the fleet, they feel confident that we can tackle the Orias.”
Mykel and Anastasia exchanged worried looks. Emmeline touched her neck and felt a sense of dread.
“Admiral, next time, I would like to be included in such meetings, especially if it involves the future of Titan and the twenty thousand people who live on this colony,” Anastasia got on her feet, “I will have a word with them myself. Meeting adjourned.”
Emmeline left the meeting room with millions of questions running through her mind. Her heart was pounding, and she felt disheartened. What could they do? What if these creatures attacked again? How would they survive? What if they destroyed Titan? She felt they were defenseless and wished she had never joined the meeting.
It wasn’t just Emmeline who felt that way. Adrian’s stomach twisted, and sweat dripped down his neck. He waited for the elevator with Evan. Finally, he said, “I don’t believe this.”
“I know. It’s an uneasy feeling knowing that there’s someone on the other side of that cloud that could turn you into a monster,” said Evan.
His words gave Adrian no comfort. Space was a dangerous place, but he’d always thought he would die in an explosion or suffocate to death. To be reborn as an ugly creature with no mind of its own was a nightmare.
The doors to the elevator opened, and they stepped in. “I know. I feel like I’m going to puke,” Adrian said.
